Freddy the Fish Lesson Plan - some of the students loved the hands on learning so much today, they wanted to play teacher at home! Here are our lesson plans!
Activity: The Journey
Freddie is happy with his home, the stream he lives in. He is healthy, with lots of energy and curiosity.
The water and streambanks which make up his home are perfect for him.
Freddie has everything he needs right here. The water is cool, which is good because cool water
holds more oxygen, so Freddie can breathe more easily. The trees and shrubs along Freddie’s
stream shade the water and keep it from getting too warm. Food for Freddie, like insects and leaves,
fall off of the shrubs, so Freddie always has something to eat. While Freddie likes this stream, he’s a
little bored with it, and would like to go on an adventure. Do you think he should leave this part of the
stream and see what’s out there in the world? Freddie decides to leave the shady, cool waters and
heads downstream on his adventure…..
Canister #1: Sediment, at the clear-cut.
After a while, Freddie notices that the sun is shining and it’s no longer so cool and dark in the water.
He looks out of the water and notices that all the trees have been cut down.
Sprinkle some sediment(dirt) over the water and allow it to slowly settle over Freddie. How does it feel to get sediment intoyour gills, and into your eyes, Freddie? Explain how fish breathe and how sandy grit hurts fish gills. Also explain how sediment gets into a stream when all of the trees and shrubs along a stream are removed due to logging or building stores and houses. Without vegetation covering the soil, it washes
(erodes) into the stream and covers the rocky floor of the stream, where fish lay their eggs. Should Freddie go home? NO! So Freddie continues on his way downstream.
Canister #2: Cow Manure (Raisins)
Freddie pokes his snout out of the water and sees some BIG black and white animals coming down to
visit the water, and they are stirring up the sediment in the stream. Oh my, they are also leaving some
presents.
Sprinkle a few raisins into the water and let them dramatically sink in the water, leaving
brown trails. Let the students observe and draw their own conclusions on what the cow “presents”
really are. Freddie doesn’t like the taste or smell of these presents. Should Freddie go home?” NO!
So Freddie continues on his way downstream.
Canister #3: “Green Grass Fertilizer”
Freddie notices a golf ball floating (add a golf ball) …Hmm, what is this green stuff running off the golf
course? Bleck! Too much fertilizer! How do you feel Freddie?
Explain that people should not use too much fertilizer on their lawns, or apply it before a heavy rain.
Should Freddie go home?” NO! So Freddie continues on his way downstream.
Canister #4: “Weed-Free Grass”
Repeat #3 above, but with weed-killer (red drink mix). Weed-killer in a stream or lake can kill all of the
good plants that feed the fish and other aquatic organisms. Should Freddie go home?” NO! So
Freddie continues on his way downstream.
Canister #5: Road Salt
Freddie notices that the river has taken on a salty taste. [Add salt into the water.)
Explain that road salt is good for traffic safety in the winter; but bad for wildlife in general, including trees along the roadside, which may die from too much salt; and bad for groundwater as well. Have you ever had salt get into an open cut? Ouch! How do you think Freddie feels? Look, Freddie is swimming faster
in an attempt to get away from the salt, but the saltiness seems to be everywhere in the water. Freddie may be missing the cool, shady pool back upstream. Should Freddie go home? NO! Freddie swims on.
Canister #6: Litter
Continuing on, Freddie passes a picnic site… some campers left their rubbish behind: dirty plastic
dishes, and empty bottle of charcoal lighter fluid and a used disposable diaper. We would never do
this, would we? Freddie must feel disgusted with this mess, wouldn’t you? He tries to push the litter
out of the water. Lets remember to keep litter in its proper place and dispose of used diapers in a
trashcan! Yuck! Should Freddie go home? NO!” Freddie swims on.
Canister #7: Used Motor Oil on the Ground
A person is changing the motor oil in their truck. They pour the used motor oil on the ground. The oil
seeps down into the ground and moves through the groundwater to the stream. Did you know that
just one cup of oil can poison a tank of water twice the size of this classroom? Freddie gets his gills
clogged with oil and he starts having trouble breathing. (Presenter: gasp a little and hold your
throat). Life is getting pretty tough for Freddie. Poor Freddie has come through so much. Even
though Freddie is a tough fish, this is more than Freddie can withstand. He swims back home as fast as he can.
Summary
After everyone has settled down, pull Freddie out of the water. Explain that Freddie was just acting,
he’ll be alright. But Freddie is trying to make a point here. What do you think Freddie is trying to
teach to us?
All living things need a clean, healthy environment to thrive. Fish need a suitable place to live. If
their homes become polluted, fish will have trouble. A stream that becomes polluted, and then flows
into Lake Superior, can affect all of Lake Superior. If we want to healthy fish populations, if we want
to have a healthy Lake Superior, we must act wisely.
What could have been done to keep Freddie’s stream a healthy place to live?
1. Leave shrubs and trees along streams.
2. Don’t allow cattle and other livestock animals to wander into streams. Pump water out of the
stream and put it in a large trough for the livestock to use away from the stream.
3. Follow label directions on fertilizers and pesticides. Do NOT use too much!
4. Do not use road salt near streams.
5. Don’t be a litterbug. Remove litter from streams .
6. Support efforts to clean up industrial sites.
7. Recycle used motor oil drained from your car.
8. Acid rain comes from air pollution. It can hurt trees, plants and lakes, and kill animals living in
aquatic habitats.
No comments:
Post a Comment